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Saturday, January 12, 2013

Movie Review: Zero Dark Thirty

Two years after the September 11th attacks, a
young CIA officer named Maya is reassigned to the U.S. Embassy in Pakistan.Prior to her reassignment, she spent her time
collecting intelligence on the terrorist organization and it's leader, Osama Bin Laden.While in Pakistan, she accompanies fellow
officer Dan to a “black site,” where she is exposed to the torturous
interrogation tactics imposed on detainees.Though initially squeamish, her resolve sees her through.8 years later, after a great many setbacks
and close calls, her tireless efforts finally pay off.The target may have been located.However, the powers that be will not move
forward on the information until they are absolutely sure.

Zero Dark Thirty
is the follow up to director Kathryn Bigelow's The
Hurt Locker, which won top honors at the 82nd Academy Awards.While the latter shows the Iraq War from the perspective
of an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team, the former offers a behind-the-scenes
look at the worldwide hunt for Osama Bin Laden.Though the troops aren’t left completely out of the picture, but they
aren’t the sole focus this time out.The
story is told from the perspective of a female protagonist, which can be seen
as a bit of meta-commentary on the part of Bigelow.Her filmography consists mainly of genre
films (action pictures) that appeal to a largely male audience.In that sense, she can be considered a woman
who chooses to play a man’s game.Zero Dark Thirty can be seen as example
of the toll such a thing takes, on a playing field where the stakes are much,
much higher.

The film is shot in a somewhat different style from The Hurt Locker.Picturesque shots, in which slow motion
photography allows one to linger on the immense destruction wrought by bombs
and the like, are not part of the visual palette this time out.Hand held cameras allow for more of a “docudrama”
feel.This seems to be the preferred aesthetic
for such films these days.As such, it
isn’t particularly memorable, nor is it a at all distracting.The story gets told, albeit in fairly mundane
manner.This suggests that Bigelow was
going after something considerably more subdued than what she was previously
known for.The visuals do get a bit more
dynamic during the conclusion, but more on that later.

Bigelow comes from a background of action cinema.Her early works, while not bona fide
blockbusters, have amassed a loyal following among genre fans.Zero
Dark Thirty confirms the massive evolution suggested by The Hurt Locker.Kathryn Bigelow has indeed “grown up.”The subject matter remains the same, but the
vantage point has changed.While Point Break, Near Dark, and Strange Days
all dealt with addiction and thrill-seeking, Zero Dark Thirty attempts to take such concepts to their logical
conclusions.Addiction gives way to
obsession and burnout.Orgasmic payoff
only comes after much planning and fact checking.When it finally happens, it can feel somewhat
like a pyrrhic victory.

Being that Zero Dark
Thirty isn’t an action film (Though the marketing materials might make it
seem so), it doesn’t come with the more obvious thrills that one would
expect.There isn’t much action until
the very end, though there are a number of surprises and “jump scares” strewn
throughout.However, when the action
does arrive, it is truly something to behold.Bigelow juxtaposes nearly complete darkness with first person POV shots as
seen through night vision goggles.The
audience is made to see combat the way that soldiers get to see it, and not in
a gimmicky sense.The darkness is
frustrating, disorienting, and ultimately…scary.Bigelow is at the top of her game here, as
she is able to find endless variations on the kinds of scenes that she mastered
so long ago.

To say that Maya is the film’s Elliot Ness to Bin Laden’s Al
Capone would seem to be an apt comparison.However, she plays a much different role than history’s most celebrated
Treasury officer.While Maya is sometimes
in field with the grunts, that’s not really her place.She does the investigating, and provides the
info needed to allow the grunts to do their thing.In a nutshell, she’s the brains behind the brawn.She’s content with that position, and Jessica
Chastain invests the character with dogged determination.She’s tough in a way that has nothing to do
firing a gun.

The film’s major flaw is its excessive length.The running time clocks in at slightly over
two and a half hours, making the film a bit less than economical in terms of
pacing and storytelling.It’s not
exactly bloated, but it tends to get repetitive at certain points.20 minutes could easily have been cut without
losing much.However, the story being
told is compelling nonetheless, and its handlers are obviously skilled in how
they spin it.

Zero Dark Thirty
is in no way a thrill ride, though it does have a thrilling moment or two.Its protagonist is a woman driven by conviction
and obligation, not adrenaline.She’s
put her all into this project, suffered great losses as a result, and now must
see it through to the end.Though sexual
metaphors hardly seem appropriate at this juncture, that’s what immediately
comes to mind.The wait certainly pays
off, for both the main character and the audience (and America at large, for
that matter.).However, the foreplay
becomes excruciating after a point.Zero Dark Thirty is a really good film
that misses greatness due to its own hubris.

About Me

Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Scott Wilson, deep thinker and blogger extraordinaire. I'm also a published author and proud father. Last but certainly not least, I'm a single (IE Available), but I'm definitely looking to change that. My life is an ongoing work in progress, and I'm always looking to improve.